The purpose of this blog is to communicate with our family and close friends while we cruise "New Horizons" to new destinations.

"We don't know exactly where we're going, but if we get lost, we'll just pull in somewhere's and ask directions."

Thursday, July 16, 2009

. . . The repairs continue!

Can't hardly believe it, but we still haven't been able to leave Key West and head to the Dry Tortugas!!!!!!



The generator worked for a several days and then just quit! We seem to have communication problems with the Phasor serviceman. He was not available until yesterday. So we came into Key West Bight Marina yesterday to meet the generator serviceman. He didn't show! Why is it so hard to find reliable help these days?!!! He came this morning and told Capt'n what he had already surmised, that it is probably the starter.



Wellllllllllllll, they ordered the wrong starter! Now we will have to wait until Monday before we can get the new one and install it since we can't seem to even pay the diesel guy to do that! Well, it is a small space and pretty warm in there too. Oh yeah, the a/c isn't working properly either. We're getting a little tired of the"skakedown" cruise repairs, to say the least!



In addition to our woes, our broadband thing has been acting up and most of the time we do not get a "connection" and therefore haven't been able to update the blog or answer emails . . . sorry!


And then, I got our cell phone wet, next time I decide to douse myself with the hose, I must remember to set my purse somewhere dry! Anyway, we tired to use David's old phone and it has decided not to accept incoming calls, nor can we make calls. It's great having all these modern conveniences, but a real pain when they don't work, especially now that we don't own a car. Gladly, David was able to find an AT&T store today so we are $100 poorer.


Needless to say, it hasn't been a real "fun" week!




I have had a lot of time to read just lately and there is quite a lot of history in Key West. Henry Flagler's railroad project for one. A monumental job that began in 1893, having been delayed by several hurricanes in 1906, in which at least 150 people lost their lives, another in 1909 and also 1910. By 1908, Flagler's railroad stretched from Jacksonville to Knight's Key Dock, 45 miles northeast of Key West.


Flagler also gets credit for building the first true resort in the Keys - the Long Key Fishing Camp. It was a popular destination for over 25 years until it's complete destruction in the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. Hearst, Mellon, Hoover and Roosevelt all spent time at Long Key.


Key West has also been the site for the filming of several movies, Operation Petticoat, starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, Final Countdown starring Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen, True Lies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, and License to Kill, starring Timothy Dalton and Priscilla Barnes. I don't remember seeing the first two, but True Lies is on our top ten list, and who can resist Bond, James Bond! Of course, in my opinion, the only true James Bond is Sean Connery!


For more Key West history, you can go to http://www.keyshistory.org/. There's quite a lot of information, but quite interesting. I never used to be much of a history buff, but it seems the older I get . . . the wiser I get, hey who said that?


I came up with a great, easy, boat tested sauce for pasta or rice. Go to the very bottom of the blog to see it. I can also email to anyone that is interested, just let me know.